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This is the best flourless carrot cake you’ll ever make! It’s gluten-free, incredibly moist, soft and tender, and topped with a creamy mascarpone frosting. So easy and so delicious!
The Best Healthy Carrot Cake
Can we please talk about how I used to think, “Carrots? In cake?! VEGETABLES in dessert?! Ewww!” I was foolish. Past me was wrong. So, so wrong.
(I’m still not budging on watermelon, though. Hard pass.)
But, friends. Seriously. This flourless carrot cake? Love at first bite. Totally blew me away.
We’ve baked our fair share of cakes together—chocolate olive oil cake, strawberry shortcake, pound cake magic—but this carrot cake? It’s on another level. No chocolate. No berries. Just carrots, and somehow, it’s still one of the best cakes I’ve ever had. Light, sweet, and honestly… dreamy.
And then there’s the frosting. OH. The frosting. I skipped the usual cream cheese situation and went with mascarpone instead. It’s creamy, delicate, and seriously indulgent. Don’t skip it—it’s what ties the whole cake together.
What You’ll Need
This flourless carrot cake keeps things simple, but every ingredient plays its part in making the most tender, flavorful cake ever. No flour, no fuss—just a few basics, and you’re on your way to making the best carrot cake ever!
For The Cake
- Eggs – Separated into yolks and whites to give the cake structure and lightness. Please use room temperature eggs because they whip better.
- Cream of Tartar – Stabilizes the egg whites so they whip into stiff peaks.
- Sugar – I have only tried this cake with granulated sugar, but coconut sugar can work; however, it may slightly alter the texture.
- Orange Zest – Adds a bright, citrusy flavor that complements the carrots. Lemon zest is a good substitute.
- Ground Cinnamon – Warm and cozy, it brings classic carrot cake flavor. You could add nutmeg or allspice for a spicier twist.
- Salt – Enhances all the other flavors and balances the sweetness. Just a pinch does the trick.
- Vanilla Extract – Pure vanilla extract is best, but imitation works too, if that’s what you’ve got.
- Carrots – Finely grated for the best texture.
- Almond Flour – Keeps the cake flourless and adds a slightly nutty richness.
For The Frosting
- Heavy Cream – Whipped to soft peaks, it makes the frosting light and fluffy. You could try coconut cream for a dairy-free version.
- Mascarpone Cheese – Cream cheese is the closest substitute if you don’t have mascarpone.
- Powdered Sugar – Sweetens and stabilizes the frosting. You can use a powdered monk fruit sweetener if you need it refined sugar-free.
Katerina’s Recipe Tips
- Use finely grated carrots. The smaller the shred, the better they blend into the batter and keep the cake super moist.
- Don’t skip the egg white step. Beating and folding in the egg whites gives this cake its light and airy texture—totally worth the extra bowl.
- Fold gently. When combining the egg whites and almond flour, use a light hand to keep all that fluffy volume.
- Room temp ingredients are best. Cold eggs and mascarpone don’t mix as smoothly, so let them sit out for a bit first.
- Dress it up. A sprinkle of chopped walnuts, pecans, or even toasted coconut on top adds crunch and makes it look fancy with zero effort.
- Make it ahead. The cake holds up beautifully made 1 to 2 days in advance.
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Flourless Carrot Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 4 eggs, whites and yolks separated
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- zest of one medium orange
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 large carrots, finely grated (about 2 cups grated carrots)
- 1¾ cups almond flour
For the Mascarpone Frosting
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces tub of mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 325˚F and grease an 8-inch springform pan with butter and dust with flour; set aside.
- Beat the egg whites. In your mixer's bowl combine the egg whites and tartar; beat at high speed until soft peaks form. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form; set aside.
- Beat the egg yolks. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla; beat at medium-high speed until incorporated and light in color; about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Fold. Using a spatula, fold in the grated carrots and a third of the egg whites mixture; fold until thoroughly combined. Fold in the remaining egg whites and almond flour, and continue to fold until incorporated.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and the cake starts to pull away from the sides.
- Cool. Transfer the carrot cake to a rack and cool completely.
- In the meantime, prepare the frosting. With the mixer on medium speed, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar; beat until smooth.
- Combine. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture; continue to fold until completely incorporated.
- Frost the cake and serve. Spread the mascarpone frosting over the cooled cake. Cut and serve.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How To Make Flourless Carrot Cake
- Prep your pan and oven. Preheat to 325˚F and grease an 8-inch springform pan with butter and a dusting of flour or almond flour.
- Whip the egg whites. Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add sugar and beat to stiff peaks.
- Mix the yolk base. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks with the remaining sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
- Fold in the carrots. Stir the grated carrots into the yolk mixture.
- Combine everything. Gently fold in the egg whites and almond flour until fully incorporated.
- Bake the cake. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and set.
- Cool completely. Let the cake cool before frosting.
- Make the frosting. Whip the cream, then beat mascarpone with powdered sugar. Fold together until smooth.
- Frost and serve. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake, slice, and enjoy!
Proper Storage
- Refrigerate: Since this carrot cake has a mascarpone frosting, it needs to be stored in the fridge. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container. It’ll stay fresh for up to 4 days.
- Freeze (without frosting): If you want to freeze the cake, do it before adding the frosting. Wrap the fully cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap, then again in foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then frost before serving.
- Frosting note: The mascarpone frosting doesn’t freeze well—it can separate once thawed. So if you’re planning to freeze, make the frosting fresh when you’re ready to serve the carrot cake.
I have just prepared it! It is amazing! Although I did the frosting with ricotta and honey!
Thank you for the recipe
Is it 1 cup flour or 3/4cup?
Hi Katharina! That would be 1-3/4 cups almond flour, which is a 1/4 (quarter) less than 2 whole cups. Or, 1.75 cups.
I hope that makes sense. You’re not the first to ask. ๐ Let me know if it’s still confusing.
This looks so lovely! i’ve never made carrot cake before (or many cakes from scratch at all, actually) but i want to try it.
i have a question though-
do you know what i could substitute for heavy cream in the mascarpone frosting? i know of a lot of substitutes, but i’m worried the flavour might be crucial.
thank you for reading! i’m excited to try this โฅ
My daughter loves carrot cake but is now gluten intolerant.I know she would love this but she has nut allergies so I don’t think I can use the almond flour.Any other suggestions
HI! Have you tried baking with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour? That should work, but baking time might be a bit less…just keep an eye on the cake. Hope this helps!
I made this and it tasted great, but it totally fell apart on me. Do you think I should have baked it longer?
Oh no! What do you mean by, “it fell apart”? Did it just not hold together? Did you cut it while it was still hot?
I let it cool completely buy when I cut it, it almost turned into cake crumbs. I couldn’t get a whole piece out. It did taste good so I was just sad it wasn’t as beautiful as yours.
This was amazing!! My husband said it was the best cake he has ever had. You cannot tell it’s gluten-free – it’s so light and fluffy. How about a recipe for a vanilla version? I’d love to make him a similar birthday cake.
YAAAAAY! I am so happy you enjoyed it!! Vanilla sounds perfect – thanks for the idea!!
nom nom nom! And its mostly vegetables: does it mean it’s healthy?
HI POLA!!!
Yes, it’s absolutely healthy! ๐
mmm…I love that this is naturally gluten-free. Adding this to my list of cakes to try!
Hope you’re feeling better, Kate – at least you got some nutrients in with all the carrots in this cake! ๐
I need this cake in my life right now! Love that it’s gluten free too.
Hope you are feeling better! This winter needs to beat it. But did you get your flu shot? So important and they do work!
This looks amazing!